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Short Book Reviews
by Rabbi Charles L. Arian

A People Adrift: The Crisis of
the Roman Catholic Church in America
Peter Steinfels
(Simon and Schuster), 2003

The Catholic Church in America has changed tremen-dously in the almost forty years since the Second Vatican Council. Not so long ago, Roman Catholics may have been in America, but to a large extent they were not of America. The Church provided a cradle-to-grave set of parallel institutions that served mostly Catholics and were operated by religious orders and directed in top-down fashion by bishops. Today, the bishops them-selves are in crisis; Catholic schools, colleges, and hospitals have shrunk in number, often serve more non-Catholics than Catholics, and seem at a loss to define their distinctiveness or their sense of mission. Where is the Church heading? Or is it simply adrift?

Peter Steinfels is uniquely situated to address the questions that the Roman Catholic Church is facing. He served for many years as a religion writer for the New York Times and has taught at the two leading U.S. Catholic universities, Georgetown and Notre Dame. A practicing Catholic, he takes a stand on many of the issues facing the church, but successfully strives to be fair and accurate in describing the positions of those with whom he disagrees.

Reading Steinfels' book, it became clear to me that Roman Catholicism and Judaism face similar challenges
of definition and identity. The challenge of imparting religious distinctiveness balanced with respect for those of a different tradition is not easy. This is made all the more difficult when Sunday school classes are taught by untrained volunteers, who may love the faith and love their students, but who lack sufficient training in both pedagogy and theology; and when close to half of the students have one parent who is not of the faith. Indeed, I read some of what Steinfels wrote about Catholic education to my wife, who teaches in a Jewish day school, changing the words "Catholic" to "Jewish" and "church" to "synagogue," and she agreed that Steinfels' descriptions were right on target.

Steinfels skillfully dissects the theological underpinnings of the sociological challenges facing American Catholics. His discussion of the "priest shortage" is particularly astute. He ascribes it not merely to celibacy or the loss of certainty but to a shift in theological paradigms. In pre-Vatican II Catholicism, holiness was located in the priesthood and in celibacy; marriage and family life were clearly seen as second best, and one who strove to be holy joined the priesthood or a religious order. Vatican II corrected this distortion, teaching that family life was an equally valid and equally holy way of life. Steinfels would have the Church complete this paradigm shift by ordain-ing married men, but that option is foreclosed for as long as the current Pope remains in office.

An illuminating book, well worth reading.

If you would like to purchase this book, click here.

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American Judaism: A History
Jonathan D. Sarna
(Yale University Press), 2004

Jonathan Sarna established himself as a rising star among American Jewish historians with his biography
of Mordecai Manuel Noah in 1981. Since then, he has published a number of important works in the field.
What distinguishes Sarna from his peers, and indeed what gives this massive history of American Judaism its unique character, is Sarna's emphasis on the religious life of American Jews.

Given the multi-faceted nature of Jewish identity, it would be neither possible nor desirable to consider American Judaism in isolation from the larger social context of Jewish ethnicity. But far too many historians have tried to take the opposite approach, considering Jewishness primarily as ethnicity marked by a series of tragedies, traumas, and triumphs, and paying scant attention to the development of Jewish beliefs and practices. Sarna considers American Judaism as a religious phenomenon and places it in the context not only of Jewish history but also of American religious history. This context is crucial for an adequate under-standing of the growth and development of American Judaism. For example, Sarna explores how the lack of
an established church and the consequent rise of Protestant denominationalism spurred the growth of denominations in American Judaism and hindered the ever-elusive quest for unity.

Many previous studies of American Jewry have been marked by extremes of either optimism or pessimism. Sarna steers a moderate course, noting the challenges that the American Jewish community faces but believing as well that the Jewish tradition gives the community the resources needed to weather these challenges. "With the help of visionary leaders, committed followers, and generous philanthropists, it may still be possible for the current 'vanishing' generation of American Jews to be succeeded by another 'vanishing' generation, and then still another."

Sarna's book is a magnificent accomplishment and should swiftly become the standard textbook on American Jewish history.

If you would like to purchase this book, click here.

Rabbi Charles L. Arian is the Jewish Scholar on staff at the Institute for Christian & Jewish Studies

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